You spot a butterfly and your eye is immediately drawn to its striking colours, delicate wings and effortless elegance. The question to ask is, is perfection actually attainable? Or are we frequently struggling to reach a forever moving target.
The great American playwright, Tennessee Lanier Williams once wrote, “It is almost as if you were frantically constructing another world while the world that you live in dissolves beneath your feet, and that your survival depends on completing this construction at least one second before the old habitation collapses”.
For the past 14 hours you’ve been confined, like a sardine in a can, to a seat amongst 450 other passengers. You’re sleep deprived, your skin lacks lustre and you look as rough as you feel .You look up to find the flawless and perfectly maintained face of your coach flight attendant. You envy her hair, glowing skin and impeccably pressed uniform. To you, right now, in this place, she is the epitome of perfection.
What appears to us as effortless perfection is not effortless at all. It is, in fact, the result of weeks of solid preparation. In an effort to maintain an immaculate appearance a flight attendant must attend a grooming induction. It’s here they learn about the best skin care, make-up, and hair products. Glamorous you think? Not really! Imagine lining up before a day at the office to be studied, tested and judged for too much foundation, not enough lipstick or god forbid, a hair out of place!
A flight attendant on duty is responsible for all the passengers onboard. They are there to ensure your safety and make you comfortable. They’re at your beck and call, all the while looking professional, flawless and calm. They’re meant to give the impression of perfection, the butterfly of the high skies. Yet, it leaves you feeling uninspired and imperfect.
At journey’s end, your seat is in the upright position, your tray table is stowed away and your window shade is drawn. You’ve arrived. You exit the plane with your unkempt look, whilst envying the perfect hostess as she waves goodbye. She heads back into the aircraft to start all over again.
Does effortless beauty actually exist? Perhaps for the butterfly it emerges from a cocoon, but not so for the flight attendant. It takes preparation to be the perfect picture, but it cannot be perfection when the preparation does not travel the same tranquil path as the butterfly.